I will bring you the sky, my dear
by Rhapsody211
Summary: An oc joins the military seeking the wealth that would allow him to wed his true love, but soon he and the world suffers the wrath of a king who rules without compassion
1. Chapter 1

_this is the story of those who were effected by Laputa other than Pazu and Sheeta. I hope you like it. While I am aware it is quite short, I would highly appreciate a review of any kind. So please , R&amp;R! Thanks so much!_

They sat upon a ridge. Their legs dangled into the gray abyss below them, which was scattered with red roofs and green splashes, where small cliffs jutted out and people had barely managed to fit a cottage upon. The sky was clear blue, pink sneaking up from afar and deep orange spilling from the horizon. Night descended quickly, an indigo blanket settling behind their heads.

It was a girl, and a boy, young, and very much in love. He held her hand in his own, tracing her palm in slow circles. He stared absently into the chasm, watching as the small form of miners emerged from a cave, like ants from their tunnels. The girls gold hair fell into her eyes when she lifted her head from his shoulder and glanced at him meaningfully. He did not look at her. He murmured,

"Natslia-"

"No. Don't. Please, just stay silent. Do not say it, for I won't hear it." He stared into the distance longer. The last beams of the sun filtered down and shone like a beacon on his red brown hair, illuminating it like a fire fed a gust of wind. She stroked it, and held his hand tightly when he tried to withdraw it.

"I will leave. Go before dawn. It will make it easier for you..."

"Nothing could make it easier for me, my love. I know in my heart, you are the only person I could ever love, and no matter how you go, I will grieve the absence like the night might miss the moon." He looked at her then, desperation drawing deep lines on his young face. Sadness dug at his stomach and threatened to rip from his throat.

"I don't want to hurt you, Nat! But if I stay, you will be hurt. If I go, we both will hurt. I don't know what to do."

"It is simple, Henry. You must not go. I am stronger than you think." Henry grappled for an argument, but truly, he did not want to leave.

"I could not let you live in poverty. I could not let you dress your children in rags and send them to the mines every morning before daybreak. You want that?" He searched her eyes for truth.

"I want you," she whispered and leaned close to his, pressing her gentle lips to his and holding his cheeks, easing the anguished expression he wore from his face. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She radiated warmth that he could withstand, and he broke from her. He said,

"If you will not let me leave, then I will find the money for us to live. I care not you don't have a dowry. We will be wealthy when we wed." Natslia smiled at him, a single tear slipping down her cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

_I know I haven't gotten any reviews, and I dearly hope you will, but I believe in this story, and I hold you enjoy. Once again, please, pretty please, R&amp;R!thanks_

Sunlight filtered through the glass paned window and gleamed of the silver bowl on the center of the table, which was filled with porridge. Five people sat around the table, quiet and reserved, but not unsatisfied. Natslia gently poked the warm mush with her spoon and looked up from her lap.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nully, Mr. Nully, for letting me stay here tonight. I am very grateful, and I'm sure my brother is too. I wanted to give him a break from my intruding.." Mrs. Nully smiled warmly and replied,

"Whenever, m'dear. It was nothing. The least it could do for a old family friend. And I am very sure your brother was glad for a night with his lady friend," she waggled her eyes brows, earning laughs around the table. "So sad, though, that your parents- I'm sorry, you must still be grieving." Mrs. Nully looked down, subdued. Henry reached beneath the table and held Natslia's hand. A small girl with wild hair in two tails asked,

"How did they die?"

"Caity!" Mrs. Nully admonished. Mr. Nully laid a hand on his daughters arm and murmured,

"Caity, you mustn't ask such things so soon-"

"It's all right, Mr. Nully," Natslia said. "Caity, my parents house was just above the mines-"

"But that's where poor people live!" Caity exclaimed. Natslia paused, then nodded. Henry looked down, glowering.

"Yes, I suppose it is. Those mines are old, and -" Natslia felt tears burning in the back of her throat. "The ground caved in, with the house. They were inside-"

"It's okay, Natslia. I'm here for you," Henry whispered in her ear.

"Oh, the poor dear," Mrs. Nully cried, mopping her tears with a kerchief. Natslia gave a watery smile. A breeze rattled the gentle windows, and the group continue eating in silence.

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"Henry, pop over to the mill and fetch me some flour, we seem to have run out," Mrs. Nully hollered to her son. Henry popped his head inside the door,

"Mother, how am I to pay for it? Taxes were due just a day ago."

"Oh, I don't know! Help out for the morning and come back with that flour!" Henry nodded and set out.

The dirt road winded down the cliff, to where the river had carved through the rocks, and now powered the old millers business. The hot sun warmed his back as he strolled, his hands in his pockets, humming a cheery tune. He bright light hurt his sensitive blue eyes but he cared not for today was a beautiful day, and nothing could spoil it.

He passed small cabins, where small dogs yapped and chickens cooed, and stragglers hefted large picks on their shoulders and scampered off to the mines. Henry coughed as some dust kicked up and lodged in his throat.

Around the next bend, the mill came into sight, loud and rustic as usual. Henry noticed something odd. A notice pinned to tree. He strode up to it and read the bold black print.

"Recruiting for the army?" He muttered to himself. He unpinned it and stuffed it in his pocket, walking to the open door of the mill. The burly miller, his red hair sticking everywhere, a sack of flour on his shoulder, proclaimed,

"Ho! If it isn't Henry! What canna get yah today, my lad?" Henry clasped his hands together.

"My mother was wondering if we could get a small sack of flour in exchange for some help around the mill," he said meekly. The miller let out a cacophonous laugh.

"Here yah go, laddie." He handed the flour to him, and he sagged under the weight. "No work for you today, go enjoy yourself in this nice weather. But you might wanna think about strengthen'n up those scrawny muscles of yours." He guffawed and patted Henry on the back. Henry fumbled around to pull the notice from his pocket.

"Can you tell me about this?" He asked, gently letting down the four and handing the massive man the paper.

"Oh! So you've found a notice, have yah? They say the army is going after a priceless treasure that would make a rich man of us all. Might do yah some good, join'n fer a time to get your sweet ol' mother some money for my good ol' flour!" He handed the paper back to the boy. "Of yah pop, then. But get back to that old bird before she blows a gasket!"

Henry stumbled home with the heavy flour, and though of the millers words. 'A priceless treasure that would make a rich man of us all.' He smiled. Enough to let me wed Natslia.


	3. Chapter 3

_so, still no reviews, sadly. I pray that anyone who reads this, just leave a small note telling me what you think! Please! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and feel the love I tried to portray. Thanks! And R&amp;R!_

"Please, Henry. Please don't leave me."

Henry had told his family two nights after the day he found the notice that he planned to join the army. His family had remained silent, staring at him warily until Natslia had exclaimed,

"You don't have to do this." Henry looked at her exasperatedly, then turned to his mother,

"Mother, I plan to wed Natslia upon my return, and if I should succeed, the wealth I should return with will be enough to feed my children till they are grown and working." At this sudden proclamation, Mrs. Nully had gasped, placing an old wrinkled hand over her mouth. Caity had failed to suppress a grin and jumped up from her chair.

"Will I get to be a flower girl?" She squealed, hopping up and down. Mr. Nully sat his daughter back down, and looked questioningly at his son.

"Are you sure you will leave, my son. I'm sure we could collect enough money..." Henry nodded.

"I leave at dawn, and set out for the base on the coast. I will return before a year has passed-"

"Do you promise?" Natslia cut through. Henry looked into her robin egg blue eyes.

"I promise."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

At the first weak rays of morning, which shone gray and misty in swirls and columns, breaking through the dense clouds, Henry brought his bag down the stairs. He had woken to the familiar trumpet echoing from the distance, carrying far in the deep caverns of the valley. At the bottom of the stairs stood his mother, tear stains on her cheeks. She held out a basket, filled with bread and cheese beneath a home spun blanket. He took it wordlessly, then let it fall to the floor. He collapsed forward into his mothers arms and held her as she shook with tears. He kissed her gently on the cheek and picked up his bags once more.

Waiting by the door was his father and sister. Mr. Nully gave his three gold coins, the only three they owned. When Henry tried to return them, Mr. Nully shook his head. Henry hugged his father tightly, then kissed Caity on the forehead. She held out to him a tiny bouquet of edelweiss. He smelled them and smiled down at his little sister.

Out the door he walked, into the dim, still air of first light. Natslia stood, like a faerie, in a long, white nightgown, the sun beaming like a halo around her golden head, her bright eyes gleaming with tears. When she saw him, a faint smile played on her lips. In awe, Henry dropped his belongings and approached her celestial light. When he stood before her, he was lost in her eyes. He reached up a hand and brushed a nonexistent strand of hair from her brow. His fingers trailed down her cheek to her chin, where he tucked a finger and brought her pale lips up to meet his.

The world seemed to stop spinning as they kissed, embracing each other. They broke apart and he hugged her, so tight, as if he thought her light might slip away and be lost. She murmured over and over in his ears,

"I love you. Thank you. I love you, I love you." He stepped away from her and held her hands. He pressed the gold coins into her palm and whispered,

"A dowry for the angel I shall return to." With a final stare into his loves eyes, Henry turned away and took his bag and basket and strode, full of purpose and energy down the road into the yellow mist. Natslia watched him disappear, then fell into a heap, and wailed.


	4. Chapter 4

_Reviews! Yay! I value your honest opinion, but I cannot say it helped me alot (but thank you to my admirers!) I'd like to clarify that the military Henry joined was the one seeking Laputa, as was the wealth he sought. I know this chapter is short, but the excitement is about to begin. Please R&amp;R! It really, really brightens my day to hear what you think! If it must be criticism, that's okay, but please make it constructive! I applied to all stories you comment on I guess...thanks! I hope you enjoy!_

"Natslia dear! Could you go greet the mail man?" Hollered Mrs. Nully from upstairs. Natslia put down her pen and went to the door.

"Good Morning," she said as the young news boy came trotting up to the door.

"Good morning, ma'am. You'er looking spry! It's my first day on the job! Have a nice day!" With that, he pranced off, whistling gayly. Natslia looked at the two letters he had handed her. Her heart stopped. Henry.

She desperately shredded the envelope and fumbled as she unfolded the stiff paper.

_ "Dearest Natslia_

_Please tell my family I love them very much. I have arrived at the army base, and I have begun rigorous training already. I'm pleased to say I can shoot straight with a rifle and true with a sword. I have met a new friend named Andrew, he is very kind. He has helped me with my hand to hand combat. I am told I am learning so fast, they might be giving me a higher rank soon. _

_ The army has lost a person, a princess, it's rumored. Apparently this young girl is essential to find the treasure that will allow me to return to you. I hope they find her soon. They tell me, although I'm sure I am not supposed to know, that the treasure we seek is of a magnitude I could not have imagined. I city. A whole city filled with gold. A city that drifts in the sky._

_ Now, this may seem preposterous, but the army is under the impression that the floating castle of Laputa actually exists, and if we find it, we will have the wealth to dominate the world. It is said to contain endless powers, those of science neither you nor I would understand. I have high hoped however._

_ I'm afraid I must stop, for my arms ache from lifting barrels, and my hands burn from the harsh punishment of the General. But Andrew says it is better punishment from the General, than from Colonel Muska._

_ My love, I am lost without you. I hope we soon find Laputa, that I might return to your arms. _

_ With all the love in the world,_

_ Henry_

Natslia felt a tear drip down her cheek. Poor Henry, how his hands must ache, and how his weariness must reach his bones. She slumped in her chair, and drifted to a fitful sleep, plagued by dreams of her love falling, falling...


	5. Chapter 5

Here is the next chapter, which I hope you enjoy. I'm not even sure if I have any readers, but I enjoy writing it, so I will post it for whoever might come along. Canon characters are coming into view, and so the story unfolds! Please leave me a review, again, constructive criticism! If you like this story, you may like my others, so check them out! Thanks, enjoy, and review!

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Wind ruffled his hair. The sky was blue, spotted with fluffy white clouds, like cotton balls in the breeze. The grass was green and flowers scented the air. The day was beautiful; perfect. A massive cloud drifted overhead.

Henry gazed down his bayonet at the scruffy boy on the ground. His face bled from abrasions when he was knocked to the dirt. The girl screamed,

"Let me go!" She bit the man who held her captive, and fell to the ground beside the boy. "Pazu, wake up! You have to wake up Pazu!" Her voice was desperate. He saw in her Natslia, and it took all his will not to pull away his musket. The other soldiers leaned in. Henry began to sweat. They were children. Children! He should not be pointing a gun at their heads, it was wrong, wrong...

Andrew stomped on his toe as he hesitated, and he warily leaned in with his rifle. The girl leaped to her feet and began to struggle. She screamed, and fought the man who grabbed her again. Suddenly, she fell to the ground, unconscious, beside he boy. A gun in a fisted hand pulled away. He froze when a man stepped into view.

"Back away, soldiers. That is my niece you are aiming at." A shiver ran up his spin, but no one moved until the frog-like General said,

"At ease, men. Colonel Muska! What do you mean, she is your niece?!" Colonel Muska glared at the general, his glasses glinting.

"That is none of your concern, General." Henry glanced at the man, whom his gaze had been avoiding. He was tall, his regal head draped in golden hair, small, severe glasses hiding his piercing eyes. His stature hollered power, importance. So this is Colonel Muska, Henry thought.

"Not my conc- it very well is my concern!" The General sputtered, his beefy face turning purple. Colonel Muska just smirked.

"I will bring the girl on the ship. Take the boy as well. Put him in the dungeons." Colonel Muska pointed at Henry, and he was still as the ground they stood upon. "You. Carry him. And don't be gentle." The colonel himself bent and lifted the delicate girl into his arms. He held her in almost a fatherly way. It scared Henry. It was something more than fatherly. He owned her.

The Colonel strode away, and Henry slung his bayonet over his shoulder. He bent and hefted the boy into his arms. He was light, having lived on a very small diet. Pazu, she had said his name was. Henry walked toward the spy plane, careful as if the boy was made of porcelain. He saw himself in the boys thick, fluffy hair, in the boys protective expression and defiant chin. Pazu groaned and curled in Henry's arms, just a child. Henry could not hurt a child. Disobeying the Colonels orders, he gently carried him away, murmuring comforting words to the hurting boy.

He was beginning to doubt the military' stood intentions.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you to anyone who is reading this, I hope it it lives up to your expectations. I still haven't got any more reviews, so if you do read, please review. They are wonderful things! Thanks!_

"Troop, March!"

Henry plodded forward, endlessly lifting his heavily booted feet, pounding the fresh grass at the army base. The sky was grey, the air was still. The calm before a storm. They marched to the East side, toward the dungeons, where he had carefully laid Pazu the night before. Closer to his tower, the walked.

His back ached, and head pounded. He puffed his breathes steadily, and counted to ten in his head, again and again. This was nearing his third hour of marching. They reached the base of the tower, and made their way slowly around it. Henry glanced toward it. Being closer to it, he gazed at the tiny window, a slit in the dense stone. He almost paused when he heard, and saw Pazu's small face, wedged into the crack. Henry marched on, but could swear he heard a muffled cry when Pazu fell to the ground.

Guilt coursed through him. It was him who had imprisoned the innocent boy, him who had left him to starve in the dungeons. He shook his head, and froze. His platoon had stopped and he bumped straight into the back of the soldier before him. That man grunted and stumbled forward.

"Nully!" Roared the Captain, turning on him. Henry backed up respectively, held his arms behind his back, and looked down. The Captain hollered, "what was that!"

"I am sorry, sir, I was just I bit tired and dazing off," Henry replied truthfully. The Captian snarled. His cold blue eyes bore down on Henry and he felt they might burn a hole through his head.

"Are you suggesting that during a battle, if you happen to be tired, you can doze off and end up hurting fellow soldiers!"

"With all due respect sir, I didn't hurt any fellow soldiers. I merely bumped him. Soldier," he looked at the man he had bumped, "I am sorry if I may have have hurt you." The Captain's voice dripped with anger,

"I have no time for rudeness, Nully. I will spare you a whipping, for in know you have them quite frequently," he smirked, and Henry stared at a particularly long blade of grass as the soldiers chuckled. "In line, men!" The captain raged. "Forward!"

Henry sat beside Andrew in a dimly lit room, on his cot. Andrew piped up,

"Henry, you should really try to pay more attention, you just got promoted." Henry nodded absently. He gazed through the window at the glittering stars, blinking in the sky. Golden, like Natslia's hair. He was overcome with a strong longing. He glanced at Andrew, and asked quietly,

"Do you have someone at home?" Andrew looked at him strangely.

"Don't you? My mother and father are waiting, as is my older brother."

"No, I mean, a lady, a wife or someone?" Andrew blushed and looked down, his black hair reflecting the yellow candlelight.

"Ah, no. Not really." Henry nodded, and didn't press the subject. He assumed he loved a girl who did not love him back, as he had before.

A loud roar like thunder slowly came into hearing range, like the atmosphere passing through a windmill. Henry stood and hurried to the window. A massive air ship drifted to the port, covered in brown green paint, with so many wings, Henry couldn't fathom how it functioned.

"What on earth is that?!" Henry cried over the sound. Andrew refused to look at him.

"It's the airship Goliath. It was called a few hours ago. We are to fly it to Laputa."


	7. Chapter 7

It's been a while! Glad to keep going!

Sirens wailed. Henry's dreams wandered, and he found he was being shaken awake by gentle, yet firm hands.

"Henry! Henry, you have to wake up!" Henry opened his eyes to a frantic Andrew, his eyes frenzied.

"What is it!? What's going on?" Henry asked in alarm, twisting from his blankets and watching all the other men in their cabin pulling on boots, and thrusting helmets on heads still dizzy from sleep. They tripped over bags and stumbled around, confusion the main thought for all. Henry followed suit, waiting for Andrews reply. It came slowly, through labored breathes,

"The Robot. The Robot has come back to life."

An explosion rattled the windows, and the troop began filing from the door, rifles steady on their shoulders. Henry shook in his shoes, fear snaking through his limbs, making his palms sweat and vision blur. Never in his life had he been so afraid.

The second he stepped out the door, heat blasted his cheeks and stung his eyes. He breathed in smoke and coughed. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned back to Andrew, who smiled grimly.

"Will you make me a deal, Henry? Both of us. Both of us will come out of this alive."

Fire. All Henry could see was fire. Melted stone erupting from the barracks, canons lumps of metal where they once stood ready to cast out rounds of steal. The grass beneath their feet was black and crisp. Steady, his battalion marched to the tower. Which tower, he couldn't remember in all the rubble. All he knew was that atop it was a robot, taller than a tree, casting destructive beams from its head, holding the princess Sheeta in its arms.

Such a creature he had never encountered before. His sheltered life in a tiny mining town never led to such abomination. It was not alive, and yet it moved on its own. Destroyed on its own. He wondered if the robot was hurting the young girl or protecting her. He hoped it was the latter.

A stream of flame was cast from above, and Henry shrieked, feeling liked a small boy. The troop scattered, and Henry dove beneath a hunk of fallen stone. He curled there, quivering. Too afraid to move.

Alive. He must stay alive, for Andrew. For Natslia. He heard a yell. It took him a moment to realize it was directed at him.

"Coward! Coward! You are hiding while your brothers are dying!"

That struck a chord. Something inside of him snapped, and he leaped from his spot beneath the shelter, wacking his head on it and cursing, before screaming,

"I am not! I am not a coward!" His voice was filled with emotion, and he wracked with sobs that would not come. He was here for her. They dare not question his dedication, his love for her! He would fight, he would protect their future...

A foul smell filled the air, of burning bodies and metal. His seared down into his lungs. He swallowed painfully and looked around him wearily. Death. Only death. Something every man feared, no matter how much they might deny it.

Andrew was again at his side, holding him and whispering,

"Let's carry on."

But before they had a chance, a blinding light burned from the tower. A distant cry of "he's dead! We got him" was heard by the pair. Dread swept over Henry, like drinking a glass of cold water. It sunk deep within him—something was very, very wrong. He felt guilt for not feeling the joy everyone else did at the death of the robot. He suddenly knew strongly it was protecting her. It died saving her life. It scared him to think of who it was protecting her from.

Overhead came a buzzing like a giant insect, and above them they saw Pazu, dangling upside down, holding Sheeta, her nightgown flapping in the ashy air.

"We depart at once!" Came the hated voice of the General. "We have to reach Laputa before those blasted pirates!"


End file.
